


Crafty Kitty

by cosmicoyote



Series: Marichat May 2020 One-Shots [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Marichat May 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:20:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24009508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmicoyote/pseuds/cosmicoyote
Summary: Prompt Three: MouseMarinette volunteered to make mouse toys for the local cat rescue. Falling behind due to a busy schedule, she worries she won't get them finished in time for the shelter's opening. Luckily, her own loyal feline companion is eager to help.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Marichat May 2020 One-Shots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1728427
Comments: 4
Kudos: 95





	Crafty Kitty

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who reads my fics! You guys are amazing, and I appreciate each and every one of you! ♥

You would think Marinette would learn from putting more on her plate than she could handle after piling art projects on top of her normal school work, designing, and Ladybug duties that nearly caused her to have the meltdown of the century. But no, alas, she had not.

She really should have kept to herself when she overheard the owner's of the new stray cat rescue down the street talking to her parents about catering for the opening event. The nice middle-aged woman and her partner had admired Marinette's purse when she emerged from the back room with cookies for them to taste test. When the teen had said that she had made the bag herself, they both gasped and complimented her while the first lady, named Cassie, had asked if Marinette knew how to make mouse-shaped catnip toys.

One thing led to another, and now she was being commissioned by those nice ladies to make fifty catnip toys before Saturday when the shelter would officially open its doors for adoptions. The toys would be put in gift bags for the lucky new families taking home their new cat or kitten along with other starter items for helping the new pet adjust.

After several failures, she finally got the pattern right and had made five perfectly held together mouse toys.

But now it was Friday afternoon, and that was all the progress she had made. School, akuma battles, and other commitments had pushed the little toys further and further on the back burner of her priorities until she was now faced with most likely having to pull an all-nighter. Again.

Ready to face hours of careful stitching, packing, and sewing, Marinette had brewed a pot of coffee and a separate one on standby for tea in the kitchen below. She had plenty of fabric, stuffing, catnip, and string to make more than the fifty mice she had promised to do. However, it took time to sew the body, attach the ears, then carefully stuff them and place the pouch of catnip inside before sewing the belly shut and attaching the tail.

They were cute, she had to admit. The owners had said that color wasn't a large concern, but some people had a fear of mice. So instead of making them brown, grey, or black, the mice were shades of green, pink, blue, and purple to look less... realistic.

She was finishing a purple mouse when she heard a soft tapping on her trapdoor that lead to her balcony outside. She paused, her needle in her hand with just a stitch or two to go before the toy was completed. Marinette frowned. Only one person could be on her roof besides a repairman, and her parents had not mentioned one coming by for anything, so she sighed and got up to climb onto her bed and push the door open.

Friendly green eyes met hers, and she smiled a little despite the current plight she was in.

"Hi, Chat Noir," she greeted him, pushing the door open all the way to straighten fully.

The cat hero smiled, crouched on his belly so that he met her eyes the moment she poked her face out. His belt tail swished behind him before he hopped up to a crouch in one graceful movement.

"And how is my princess on this _mew_ -utiful day?" His head tilted curiously.

She snorted. His puns were ridiculous, but he looked so sweet when he said them.

"I would love to hang out with you, Chaton, but I have a project I'm working on." She rubbed at her eyes, already feeling the tired itch creeping up on her. She was going to have to start her coffee intake before 5 pm. Great.

Chat Noir frowned, and she watched his leather kitty ears droop in disappointment along with his tail. "Oh. That's okay, Princess." He gulped and fidgeted with his miraculous, his eyes down. "I um..." he faltered and ran his fingers through his already rumpled hair.

She wasn't used to seeing him this vulnerable and nervous. Sure, he flirted shamelessly with her as Ladybug and sometimes opened up a little, but he kept his emotions guarded more often than not. Something was bothering him, and was too shy to say.

After taking a few steadying breaths so she could snap out of her panic and beginnings of exhaustion, Marinette came to the conclusion that he was lonely and just looking for a friend. They weren't open with their home lives when they wore masks in order to keep their identities safe. From what she gathered, his parents hardly noticed when he was away doing superhero duties which she found sad. He also admitted a couple of times he didn't have many friends. He assured her he had a couple of good ones, but they had their own lives, and his was restricted.

He wanted to be around someone even if it was for just a couple of hours.

Her mind made up, Marinette stepped back and gestured at her open trapdoor. "You can come in, Chaton. Just-" she faltered when he breezed passed her and landed on her bed before she could get all of her words out. Chat was on the floor by the time she shut her trap door and crouched down. "Just don't distract me while I work on the cat toys."

Chat's eyes grew round at the mention of her project, and he immediately wondered over to her desk to explore.

Marinette climbed down from her bed and marched over to her work space as her dorky partner picked up one of the completed green mice and smiled. "These are cute," he told her with genuine enthusiasm. "Are they for that new animal shelter opening down the street?"

She suppressed a smile in favor of a mildly stern look as she gently took the toy from him. "Paws off, Chaton. And yes, they are for the new shelter. Are you going to the opening tomorrow?"

His eyes lit up. "Absolutely! I was invited by those nice ladies who are running it." He frowned. "Ladybug said she couldn't come." His ears drooped a little again, but then they perked up almost instantly when he asked, "Will you be there?"

Marinette smiled. "Yeah. I'm helping Cassie put the adoption bags together for when the kitties go to their new homes."

"That's so awesome! Can I help!?" His eyes were big with excitement.

She hesitated, thinking about all of the mice she had to make before tomorrow morning, and that hesitation wiped the smile right off his face.

"I... If I'm bothering you, Princess. I'll leave. I just..." His whole body seemed to deflate, and she felt like she had just kicked a puppy... er, kitten, she supposed.

"No, no. Come on, Chaton, you can help." She offered him her hand, and his entire being lit up like a firework's display. His smile was radiant as he followed her over to the corner of her desk where the completed mice were.

"Can you keep your claws from snagging the fabric?" she asked him, eyeing his sharp nails with a look of apprehension.

He smiled. "I've had plenty of practice, Princess. I _paw_ -mise not to tear up your handiwork." He held up his hands for affect, and she smirked before pulling a chair over for him. "Okay. Then, I need you to stuff the mice that have been sewn together with stuffing and catnip bags then put eyes on them with the permanent marker. Just two dots." She smiled. "Think you can handle that?"

" _Fur_ sure," he answered cheekily.

She scratched him behind the ear without thinking and turned to her trusty sewing machine. She normally gave him physical affection as Ladybug but tip-toed around it so he didn't get the wrong idea. Chat took her touch in stride, however, and gave her a soft smile before turning to the mice that were completed save for their eyes.

She stiffened as another thought struck her and she said without turning around, "And don't sniff the catnip, Chat Noir."

A soft grunt followed by a fumbling sound could be heard as she apparently caught him red-handed. She fought a snicker as she continued her work.

Marinette was sewing with her back to him as she carefully attached the little rounded ears and made sure the hole was big enough to poke stuffing through but small enough that not everything would fall out immediately. She was finished and rolled her chair to the left to put the shell of the toy beside him. He had put the eyes on the finished mice, and he happily accepted the cloth from her.

She paused to watch him prod the white fluff into the toy then put the bagged catnip (which resembled a teabag so the smell got through but the catnip didn't get everywhere) inside. He smiled and carefully put on two eyes before placing the mouse down. 

"If you show me how, I can close them," Chat offered as she resumed using her machine to start the next toy. "One less thing for you to do."

"Can you sew?" she asked him, taken aback.

"Kind of," he mumbled, his cheeks darkening under his mask. "My mom showed me how to fix holes in my stuffed animals when I was small. I just... fumble with the needling part."

She showed him how to thread his needle, and he was off.

They spent the next few hours comfortably chatting about this and that. Chat was easy to talk to when he wasn't trying to be flirtatious. His cat puns were served often, but she took them with rolled eyes and sarcastic smiled.

When it was dinnertime, Marinette's mother brought them food up which he ate with manic enthusiasm like he hadn't ingested anything all day. Seeing this, her mom brought him second helpings and an extra large platter of desserts. Sabine showed them the cat cupcakes and cookies that she and Tom were baking downstairs, and Chat gushed over how adorable they were and how the black cat cupcake with green eyes held likeness for himself.

As she was finishing the last mouse, Chat gently took it from her and stuffed it, gave it eyes, but then let her close up the last one. She double checked his work to make sure they weren't going to hand out any disemboweled mouse to the new adopters then put them in a large bag.

Chat had sipped on coffee during their small breaks, so he was twitching from his caffeine high. "We did it!" He was beaming and looked like a five year-old just promised ice cream.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Chaton," she told him, smiling softly at him and ruffling his hair. "So, thank you."

He wiggled and then leaned into her touch which made her heart flutter weirdly. "Anytime, Princess." He closed his eyes as she massaged his scalp then rubbed behind his ears. He began to purr, and her stomach warmed. Seeing him smile made the goof ups and stumbles worth it. Plus, she had finished much more quickly even with his occasional mistake with the needle or dropping stuffing than she would've by herself.

Slowly, she dropped her hand, and his look was so tender, she felt her cheeks flush. She booped his nose to cover up her flustered face. "Silly." 

He helped her clean up then stretched as he glanced at her computer screen for the time. It was half passed ten. He really should be getting home.

Marinette made sure the mice were in view so she didn't goof up in the morning and forget them then turned to her yawning partner. "Okay, Chat. I let you stay to help me, and I'm so grateful, but you need to be heading to your own home." She flicked his bell, and he smiled slightly. "I can't have strays in my room overnight."

"Not even friendly ones?" he asked innocently with a hint of kitten eyes. Boy, was he crafty in more ways than one - trying to wiggle his way into a sleepover. Her mother had allowed it once when a thunderstorm kept him from safely traveling home, but she needed to put her foot down as no storms were in the forecast tonight, and she needed her sleep.

She smiled. "No, Chaton. Not even friendly strays. I'll see you in the morning at the shelter."

There was a sadness in his eyes that half made her want to let him stay. Instead, she compromised. "We can have a sleepover another time. We'll eat snacks, watch movies, and braid each other's hair. Promise."

Life surged back into him, and Chat Noir smiled big as he scooped her up and spun her around, laughing as he basked in the prospect of hanging out with her.

It took everything in her not to cry.

So, she giggled along with him then bid him goodnight. He was easier to escort out now with the promise of a future sleepover. She had a feeling he didn't get to go to too many sleepovers if he was this enthusiastic. 

After he was gone, she got ready for bed and collapsed against her mattress, her eyes trained on her window and thinking of her feline partner. She did feel bad for sending him on his way, but he needed to fight his own battles. Her room would always be a sanctuary for him when he was sad, but she couldn't shelter him all the time.

Her heart ached for him because he was a dork most of the time while at other times he looked sad and lost, like he wasn't sure what to do with himself. He lowered his guard more around Marinette than Ladybug, so she was able to see him like that only once in a while.

As she closed her eyes, preparing for sleep to overtake her, Marinette made a silent promise to herself and Chat Noir that their upcoming sleepover would be the best one he ever had.

**Author's Note:**

> Marichat playful/slightly flirty banter is my catnip. ;3  
> So is Chat getting the love he deserves tbh.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> I wanted to also put in that, during these harder times, animal shelters are not closing entirely because their work is never done. It's spring time, so it is now officially the start of kitten season. Mom cats with babies, pregnant cats, and kittens are being brought to shelters constantly. They need loving homes, so if you were thinking about adopting a cat or kitten, check with your local rescues to see how adoptions are going on. I've fostered several kittens before, and it's so rewarding watching them go to their forever homes. You could open your home to a new best friend. 💗
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Your guys' feedback is always a joy to read! Thank you all so much! ♥


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